


The Quarrel

by elenniel



Series: Loki & Sif [11]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, Thor (Movies)
Genre: F/M, Fictober 2019
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-17
Updated: 2019-11-17
Packaged: 2021-02-07 20:44:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,554
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21464275
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/elenniel/pseuds/elenniel
Summary: Thor and Jane find Loki and Sif in the midst of a fight.
Relationships: Loki/Sif (Marvel)
Series: Loki & Sif [11]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1076895
Comments: 9
Kudos: 50





	The Quarrel

Thor unlocked the door and rolled two suitcases into the house.

“Loki!” he called.

Jane came up behind him, holding another bag. “Is he here?”

“I don’t think so,” said Thor. “He must be at Sif’s.”

“No surprise there. We can go over,” said Jane. She rummaged in the bag and took out a bottle of wine. “I did say I’d get her some of this the next time we came.”

They walked the (very) short distance to Sif’s New Asgard home, a compact white double storey brick house that was one of the newer buildings in the town. Thor knocked but received no reply. Exchanging glances with Jane, he shrugged and tried the handle. The door opened.

Thor stuck his head inside. “Sif? Loki?”

Voices from somewhere inside the house indicated that the duo were indeed there. They followed the sound of the voices to the kitchen, where it became rapidly clear that Loki and Sif were in the middle of a quarrel.

Loki was looking cold and haughty. “My deepest apologies, lady, for not living up to your exacting standards!”

Thor and Jane looked at each other.

“There you go again!” cried Sif, flinging her hand out in a frustrated motion. “That’s what I’m talking about! This tiresome attitude of yours, Loki!”

“I –”

Thor and Jane leapt between them, cutting the argument short. Thor dragged Loki away – out the back door – while Jane grabbed Sif’s arm with her free hand to tug her in the opposite direction, towards the dining table that was off to one side of the room.

Jane thought it was fortunate that Sif was amenable to being pulled away from the fight because there was absolutely no way that she – quite a bit shorter and smaller and less naturally gifted with strength than the Asgardians – could have gotten Sif away otherwise.

Sif dropped into the nearest chair with her arms crossed. “Sometimes,” she growled, “I almost hate him.”

Jane put the wine on the kitchen counter. “You don’t mean that.” She took up the electric kettle and filled it with water before setting it to boil. “Where do you keep your tea?”

“Cupboard above the kettle,” said Sif shortly.

Locating the tea, Jane picked out several different teabags and held them up for Sif to see. “Earl Grey, chamomile, or green?”

“I think I’d rather have ale. Or wine. I see you brought the wine you promised.”

“You sound like Thor when he’s in a mood. I think tea is much better for you right now.”

“You forget that we can hold our liquor, unlike the people of Earth.”

“I’ll just give you chamomile,” said Jane.

The kettle’s power switch snapped off, indicating that the water was boiled. Jane poured water into two cups and dropped a tea bag and a spoon in each. She handed one cup to Sif.

* * *

Loki shook himself out of Thor’s grasp. Thor stepped back, but made sure to stand in front of the door.

“You realise that if I really wished to go back inside, you just standing there would make not much difference.”

“Probably,” said Thor. “But I’m guessing you don’t really want to do that, and my standing here will help give you an excuse for not going back in.”

Loki turned and walked off the back porch.

“Where are you going?” asked Thor.

“Away.”

Thor bounded after Loki. “A fine way to welcome Jane and me,” he said. “We arrive here expecting to find you two playing house like the pair of lovebirds you are, and instead you greet us with a domestic dispute.”

Loki narrowed his eyes at Thor. “‘Playing house.’ You are sounding less Asgardian with every passing year.”

“Well, I _am_ married to one of them,” Thor said cheerily. He swung his arms in wide arcs, stretching a little. “Speaking of marriage… I’ve been meaning to ask you about that. When _are_ you going to marry her?”

He received a slightly annoyed sideways glance from his brother. “What makes you think I will?”

“I think you actually want me to hit you,” said Thor. “You have been courting Sif for a very long time now. Certainly several lifetimes over by Earth standards. I know you. You would not have carried on this long if you had no intention of ever marrying Sif. You could have ended it. It seemed like it had for a time. Then the Tesseract and Dark Elves and Sakaar and all that happened and next thing I know, you two are all sweet on each other again. So why drag it out?”

Loki merely pursed his lips.

Thor asked, “What were you fighting about?”

“Nothing.”

Thor noted the thin line of his mouth and the way in which Loki was resolutely focused on the ground before him as he walked.

“You sound like Jane when she’s mad at me. It was evidently not ‘nothing.’ Tell me, brother.” He slung an arm over Loki’s shoulders. “What caused that fight? I almost saw sparks in the air – and they weren’t the romantic kind.”

“‘Sparkles,’” muttered Loki.

“You know I hate that name.”

“Mmm, yes,” said Loki with a look of amused recollection.

Thor searched his mind for an equivalent insult. “Reindeer Games,” he said finally.

“Point Break.”

Removing his arm from Loki’s shoulders, Thor said, “You’re annoying sometimes.”

“Only sometimes? I must be losing my touch.” Loki smiled in spite of himself.

“You and Sif must have such entertaining arguments. I can’t imagine what sort of things you’d start calling each other.”

“I do not call Sif names. And I would hardly call those arguments ‘entertaining.’”

“Well, they wouldn’t be entertaining to you, of course. I meant entertaining for me.”

“Ha-ha.”

“But seriously, Loki. Have you not proposed to Sif yet? Why not?”

The smile vanished from Loki’s face.

“You haven’t, have you? Come now, Loki. She would never turn you down. I think she would count herself blessed –”

“Blessed? You would call her blessed?” scoffed Loki. He stopped walking and faced Thor. “Would she call herself blessed? What has she to gain from being with a disgraced prince? A Jotun too.”

Thor frowned. It had been a long time since he had last heard Loki refer to himself as a Jotun or a Frost Giant. Even longer since he had seen Loki in his Jotun form.

“This again? It has been” – Thor paused to count – “almost a decade since Thanos. I hardly think you are still considered ‘disgraced’ now. And everyone here is here because you came to the rescue . If you hadn’t brought the ship to Asgard when you did, we would have lost all these people.” 

“It is not so easy for me to forget.”

“I’m not asking you to forget. I’m asking you to try to forgive yourself. I’ve already forgiven you. So has Sif.”

“Has she?” snapped Loki. “If you call dredging up my past sins every time we quarrel ‘forgiveness’ then yes, the Lady Sif has forgiven me. You think our arguments ‘entertaining.’ Perhaps they are. When she calls me ‘Traitor Prince’, it is hilarious.”

A serious expression came over Thor’s face. “Does she still call you that?”

* * *

Jane wondered if it would be easier if Sif simply burst into tears and cried on her shoulder. An angry Sif was not something she particularly liked to handle, even though she had gotten to know Sif much better over the years. When complaining about Loki, Sif alternated between loquaciousness and silence. Just then, she appeared to be having a silent moment, glaring at the tablecloth and plucking absently at her sweater sleeve.

Her words burst forth suddenly. “He does not understand!” Sif thumped the table. Jane caught hold of both her own cup and Sif’s, to prevent the tea from spilling out. “He is always jumping to the conclusion that I hate him, and then he gets on my nerves by saying things like, ‘I apologise for not living up to your exacting standards’ or ‘What lofty expectations you hold, lady.’”

Jane caught sight of Thor through the window. He was gesticulating at her, rotating his index fingers as if to say ‘Switch.’ Puzzled, Jane interrupted Sif’s tirade. “Uhm, hang on. I think Thor wants something.”

Thor walked in and said, “I’d like to have a moment with Sif.”

“Oh? Sure.” Jane felt immensely relieved.

“Could you go sit with Loki for me?”

Suddenly, Jane felt like Sif was the better option compared to a moody Loki.

But she went outside anyway, and following Thor’s instructions, found Loki sitting under a tree not too far off, a little way up the slope of the hill. Upon noticing her, he made as if to stand but Jane gestured at him to remain seated.

“You still stick to that,” she said.

“To what?”

“You know…” She nudged some leaves away to make sure there were no bugs on the ground before sitting down beside him. “You stand whenever a lady comes into the room and stuff.”

“It is good manners.”

“Thor doesn’t do that – much.”

Loki shrugged. “Thor may do as he pleases. But I choose to continue to do it.”

“Why? If you don’t mind me asking.”

“Because my mother taught me these ways.”

Jane had learnt long ago that both Thor and Loki held their parents’ memories very dear, but for Loki, the memory of their mother was especially precious. She could never help but feel a little moved by how much he’d seemed to love his mother, even though at times it could be difficult for her to forget that Loki was responsible for the chaos in New York in 2012.

“She would have been proud of you.”

Loki chuckled sardonically. “You have learned to parrot my brother and Sif very well.”

“I suppose it’s shallow of me to say that.” Jane plucked at the grass by her feet. “But from all that I hear, I think it’s true.”

Several Asgardians walked down the road that went past the house. Noticing Jane and Loki on the slope, they bowed slightly and saluted as they went by. Jane waved back. Loki inclined his head and raised his hand in brief greeting.

“Do you know them?” Jane asked.

“Only by sight.” He watched the trio leave and gave three names.

“You have a good memory.”

“Both a blessing and a curse.”

_Oh dear_, thought Jane. She attempted to steer him away from the negativity. “I daresay it does more good than bad. People appreciate it when their leaders recognise them.”

“I’m not their leader.”

“Well, you are – sort of. You’re one of them, anyway. I know Brunnhilde is officially king of New Asgard but it’s pretty evident that the people still regard you and Thor highly. They still salute you two and call you ‘highness’ and all that. And Thor is always saying that you did so much to help during Ragnarok. He couldn’t have brought all these people to safety without you.”

“I also brought Thanos.”

“And if not for what you did, Thor wouldn’t have survived the attack on the _Statesman_ and we wouldn’t be here now.” Jane looked down at her wedding ring and then held up her left hand. “If not for you, I wouldn’t be married to Thor now.”

“Is that a statement of gratitude or an accusation?”

“Gratitude!” She jabbed his shoulder playfully. “Don’t be silly.”

After a long pause, Loki said, “Thank you.”

Jane smiled at him, even though he continued to stare at some unidentified point far away. She leaned back against the tree and wondered how Thor was getting on and what exactly it was he wanted to say to Sif.

* * *

Sif eyed Thor with annoyance. “Has he sent you to plead his case with me?”

“No,” said Thor. He sat down in the chair Jane had occupied and rested his arms on the table. “Loki hasn’t even told me what you were fighting about. That makes me think that it was over something trivial but it escalated and now here we are.”

“Hmph.” Sif drank the remainder of her tea.

“Sif.”

“What?”

Thor leaned forward. “You – well, we, all of us – say things we don’t really mean when we’re angry.”

“Get to it, Thor,” snarled Sif. She reached for the teapot to refill her cup. “Don’t play Loki’s word games. They don’t suit you.”

“Very well then. Take care what names you choose to call him in your anger.”

“What?” said Sif again.

“When you call him ‘traitor’… It hurts him more than you know. Even I did not know until a short while ago how much it hurts him. ‘Traitor Prince’ was what he said. He was – I rarely see him in that sort of mood. He feels it deeply.”

Sif felt stricken. She began, “I didn’t mean –”

She stopped herself. No, she did know. She often called Loki a colourful assortment of names when angry, and indeed, “Traitor Prince” was one of the names she flung at him. And she realised then that she used it precisely because she knew it to be an insult, and that it would sting.

Thor went on: “I doubt any of us really know the depths of Loki’s mind. But evidently, it is something he feels a great deal. I think… I think he regrets it all still.”

“I’ve told him so many times that he needs to stop feeling guilty.” Sif rubbed her temples.

“So have I. But it won’t help if he’s always reminded of what he did.”

Sif let her head drop to the table. “I feel horrible now.”

Thor reached over to pat her shoulder. “There, there. It’s not the end of the world.”

* * *

Jane saw the door open and Thor walked out with Sif. They made their way up the slope. Loki noticed them and automatically stood up. There were a few moments of awkward silence. Sif and Loki’s eyes met, then both averted their gazes. Jane looked at Thor, who said, “I think you two have things to talk about. Jane, let us visit Korg and Miek awhile.”

Jane assented, and they both hurried away, leaving Sif and Loki alone.

When Thor and Jane were out of hearing, Loki said, “It seems we have been instructed to ‘talk.’ Would my lady prefer to talk while seated, or while we walk?”

“Let us walk.”

He gave a half bow and extended his right arm to indicate that she should lead the way. 

Sif started up the hill, not really knowing where else to go. She had no destination in mind; she only knew that she wanted to be in motion. It would help her think.

Loki followed apace, saying nothing.

Sif hopped over random rocks, kicked aimlessly at a particularly large tuft of grass, swatted a bug away from her face, and pressed her foot into a gravelly patch just to hear the sound her shoe made against the little pieces of stone. It grew windy and she turned to walk against the wind so that her hair wouldn’t keep blowing into her face. All the while, Loki was her silent shadow.

She looked at him. His face was almost a blank slate. Almost. Not quite. There was a tightness around his mouth that told her he was hiding unhappiness. Sif bit her lip, but still couldn’t find words to speak.

She reached out and took his hand. She felt his surprise in the momentary hesitation of his step as she continued her aimless walk. His loose grip changed and his fingers intertwined with hers as he caught up to walk beside her.

“I am sorry,” she said at last. “I shouldn’t have called you a traitor. I didn’t know it hurt you so, Loki.”

“Well, that’s in the past now.”

Sif let go of his hand and pulled Loki into a tight hug, trying to convey her apology to him without words.

It took Loki a second to collect himself (Sif had a very strong grip) but his stiff, upright posture softened.

“I did do many terrible things,” he murmured into her shoulder.

“Don’t you start that again now,” she warned. “Nevertheless, I should not have said what I said. Certainly not in that way. It was… Uncalled for.”

“I should blame myself for being a bad influence on you.”

“If we took that path, everything would be blamed on you.” Sif stepped back. “Not everything is your fault, my prince.”

“It is not always easy to remember that.”

“Loki…” She stroked his cheek tenderly. Then she pinched it.

He jerked his head back. “Ow! What was that for?” 

“Pinching your cheek isn’t much fun,” she observed. “There’s not much to pull at.”

“Are you trying to annoy me again?”

Sif put her hands behind her back and strolled off slowly, saying, “Merely trying to snap you out of that mood. You were about to head down that gloomy path again. I think we’ve had enough of a quarrel for one day.”

“I don’t know if I should be offended or relieved or pleased.”

“I think you should be pleased. I don’t feel like fighting with my future husband.”

She heard his footsteps come to a halt, but she kept on walking, a little smile on her face.

It felt to Loki like the world had suddenly gone silent, and that his breath had been knocked out of him.

A seagull flew overhead and squawked. Sif paused to look at it.

Loki found his voice and called to her. “Sif!”

“Yes?” Sif smirked at him.

“What are you saying?”

Although she had been intending to drag it out and tease him, she suddenly found that she didn’t really want to do that. She said, “I am answering the question you asked me yesterday.”

“You said – you said you needed more time to think.”

“I don’t know why I said that.” A gust of wind whipped her hair across her face. She shook it off and lifted a hand to hold back her hair, feeling oddly conscious of how she looked. “Several centuries worth of courtship should have told me what my answer was immediately.”

Loki didn’t move from where he stood. He could feel his fingers shaking slightly. A tremulous sensation very much like joy was threatening to overflow and overwhelm him from the inside.

“So my answer, Loki Odinson, is this: I do love you, and yes, of course I will marry you.”

There was a shimmer of white and green, and Loki closed the distance between them in the blink of an eye. He took her face in his hands and kissed her, and it was nothing less than electric. He poured all of his feelings into the kiss, ignoring the mild irritation of Sif’s wind-tossed hair scratching his face. She returned it most enthusiastically, affectionately soft one second then harder, more demanding the next. He felt hot and cold all at once – cold from the wind, burning hot from her touch – and he was conscious of nothing but Sif and how she felt in his arms at that moment, fingers clutching at his back, then smoothly sliding up the nape of his neck

When at last the passionate moment passed, they settled into a fond embrace, with Sif laying her head on his shoulder. He murmured her name softly.

“Yes?” she said.

“Thank you.”

Sif felt him press his lips to the top of her head and she smiled.

“How did a proposal turn into a fight?”

“I do not know, lady.”

“I bet you remember every detail.”

“Far be it from me to disagree with you on such matters…”

“How fortunate you are that I know you so well that I do not take offense at this.”

“I am fortunate indeed. Fortunate beyond all belief that the good Lady Sif has not yet tired of me and should go so far as to consent to be my wife.”

With a finger under her chin, he gently tilted her head up and bent to kiss her again.

Later, as they walked back down the hill hand in hand, Loki said, “My brother asked me if I had proposed to you yet.”

“Did you tell him?”

“I said nothing, and he assumed I had not.”

“Thor told me that he thinks our quarrel today must have begun over something trivial.”

Loki’s thumb stroked her hand. “He was not entirely wrong.”

“Nor was he entirely correct.”

“Shall we tell him?”

“About our silly fight, or that we are now betrothed?”

“Either, or both.”

“Hmm,” said Sif. “I suppose we should tell him about our betrothal eventually. He is your brother and my friend, after all. And he will probably not care one jot about the fight once he hears the words ‘we are to be married’.”

They were approaching her house now, and Loki said, “Shall we go to Korg’s place now? Or await Thor and Jane at your home?”

“Let us wait at my home – or, well, _our_ home? Soon, anyway. If it would please my prince.”

The look on his face was indescribable, and it gave Sif a little flutter in her stomach. She sometimes forgot just how attractive Loki could be, especially when he was really happy.

He kissed the knuckles of the hand he held. “It would, dear lady. It would.”

**Author's Note:**

> I originally meant this for Fictober (Prompt #15: "That's what I'm talking about!") but I didn't manage to finish it until over a month later...  
Partly because I had to attend to real-life work, and then I got stuck and didn't know what to do with it or how to end it. I meant it to be a short, more comic piece about Thor and Jane having to talking Loki and Sif out of a quarrel but then it gradually evolved into this nearly 4000-word fic. Hopefully you like it!


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